Elevator



(No Model.) 2 sheets-sheen 1. j

. M. W. CLARK.

BLBVATOR.

No. 341,639. Patented May 11,- 1886.

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M. W. CLARK.

BLBVATOR.

Patented May 11, 1886.

m l n lilla WITNESSES; INVBNTOR @.7 mm n il( /l 7/ l ww/cf W ATTORNEYS UNITED ySTATES PATENT OFFICE.

MYRoN w. CLARK, oF PARMA, MICHIGAN.

ELEVATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 341,639, dated May 11,1886.

(No model.)

To all whom, it may concern,.-`

Be `it known that I, MYRoN W. CLARK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Parma,

in the county of Jackson and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Elevators, of which'the fol lowing is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

Figure l is a side elevation of my improved elevator. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a transverse section on line x Fig. 2, looking downward. Fig. 4is a side elevation of a slightly-modified construction. to Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a-section on the line x x, Fig. 5, looking downward.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts in all the figures.

The object of my invention is to construct an elevator by means of which the person can raise himself, or himself and a load, to any desired height while standing upon a platform which supports himself and the load when one is carried; and to this end one part of the invention consists in the combination of a substantially vertical post, aplatform supported on the post, and a gearing or equivalent mechanism connecting the platform with the post under such an arrangement that the operator can by means of this interposed gearing raise and lower himself and the platform while standing on the platform.

Other parts of the invention relate to various mechanisms which are employed vin the machine.

Having thus explained in general the scope of my invention, I will proceed to describe onev form of mechanism which'I have devised for f carrying it into effect.

Fig. 5 is a View taken at right angles a a are cogged racks, cast, by preference, in sections, and having their backs--that is, their faces opposite their teeth-made concave so as to fit the outer surface of the tubing. The cogged racks may be secured to the tubing by either rivets or bolts to be inserted between the cogs, or the cogged racks may be formed with laterally-projecting flanges or webs to facilitate securing them to the tubing; or the standard may be of cast metal, in which case the cogs may be cast integral therewith upon one or both sides; or they may be formed in the tubing itself and integral therewith by the use of suitablyshaped dies preferably while the tubing is in a heated condition; or holes a2 may be punched in the standard; or the standard may be square or of other manysided form in cross-section of either wood or metal having cogged racks applied thereto.

Vhen used in buildings, the upper or lower ends or both of the standard may he seated in socket-pieces B B, to be attached, respectively, to the fioor or ceiling; or it may be supported by means of brackets projecting from the walls of the building or otherwise, as circumstances may indicate.

I have shown the mechanism by which the elevator is raised or lowered upon the standard A mounted within and supported upon a bearer or a sort of boxing or gear case, CC C', surrounding the standard. This bearer is formed of two pieces of metal, preferably cast, each having the three side walls C C C and a top wall, C', and provided upon the inner edge of the top wallwith a semicircular seat adapted to fit closely, and to slide upon one side of the standard, the two parts of the bearing being united together to form a box-like case which is adapted to support the necessary operating mechanism.

D is a crankshaft mounted in said bearer upon one side of the standard andcarrying a pinion, d, which meshes with a spur-gear, E, which in turn meshes with a corresponding size spur-gear, F, so that when 4the crank or cranks are driven in the direction of the arrow 1, Fig. 4, the spur-gears will be driven in IOO 1nd have each keyed centrally thereto a pinlon, e, adapted to mesh with the cogged racks upon opposite sides of the standard.

By providing the standard upon opposite sides with cogged racks or other mechanism, by which the elevating and lowering devices carried by the traveling frame of the elevator` may engage with the standard at diametricallyopposite points, I very much reduce the twisting strain and the tendency to bind which is liable to occur in that class of elevators somewhat analogous to mine, but wherein is enr ployed only a single rack upon one side or face of thestandard, and at the same time render the movements of the sliding carriage much more smooth and easy than were but a single rack and pinion engaging therewith to be employed; butin order to still further steady the carriage and to cause it to run easily as it is raised and lowered I mount anti-friction rollers g g upon the bearer, these rollers engaging with opposite sides of the cogged racks near the bases ot` the teeth. These anti-fric1 tion rollers might be omitted, but I prefer to use them, because when they are employed I can, by means of the bolts b b, cause the two parts of the bearer to tit closely the opposite sides ot' the standards and the rollers to run in such close contact with the opposite sides of the rack as to insure great steadiness of motion, and to resist any tendency to twist the platform or elevator upon the standard which might result from an unequal loading thereof upon opposite sides of the standard.

G is the platform surrounding the standard and supported at such distance below the above-described bearer, by means of posts H, as will bring the crankshaft D at aconvenient height to be used by the operator when standing upon the platform.

It will be understood that the elevator will operate satisfactorily should the standard be supported only at its upper end or only at its lower end,in either ot' which cases it might be desirable to employ guy-ropes or other steadying devices in connection therewith, and I have shown in Figs. 1 and 2 an arrangement of devices ,by which guy-ropes may be attached to the traveling carriage.

I is a drum or roller mounted in standards projecting from the bearer or gear case, around which drum are wound the guy-ropes LL, which latter are at one end connected to some permanent object, and at the other end carry weightsl Z, which serve to-keep the ropes taut and the bights thereof in close contact with the roller. Instead of employing weights Z the ropes might be secured at their ends to the roller or drum.

J is a friction-brake adapted to control the movements of the drum or roller I, in order vto insure that it shall not turn too freely,and thus allow the guy-ropes L to become slack.

K is a treadle connected by a rod or cord, j, with the brake J, and by means of which the operator may regulate the amount of friction applied to the drum, the post H, adjacent to the treadle K, being yprovided with a ratchet, with which the treadle is adapted to engage, in order to hold it in any desired position.

It will be understood that any desired or well-known arrangement of pawls may be employed to hold the carriage in any position desired, or to prevent it from falling should the winding-up mechanism fail to operate or become unmanageable.

In Figs. l, 2, and 3 it will be seen that the wheels e,which engage with the cogged racks,

are mounted within and concealed by the side walls, C, of the gear-case; but in Figs. 4t, 5, and G I have illustrated a slightly-modified construction wherein the side walls, C, are dispensed with, there being two plates, C C, united by bolts I1, and in which is mounted the the shaft D, they being connected by posts H w-ith two other vplates,'C2, likewise surrounding the standard, and in which are mounted the shafts f.

Undersome circumstances it may be found desirable to employ two standards arranged side by side, with the shaftsff of such length as'will permit the use of pinions arranged to engage with the cogged racks on both standards. -It is not necessary that the standard should be arranged in a vertical line; nordo I wish to be confined to supporting it at both its upper and its lower ends. Vhen the standard is supported at but one end, the operator can construct it as he goes along by adding successive lengths of the standard, whetherhe be raising or lowering the elevator, as will be readily understood.

I do not wish to -be limited to the precise construction and arrangement of parts shown, but have illustrated the best method now :known to me for carrying out myinvention.

I am aware that an elevator consisting of a traveling platform or carriage, a single supporting standard arranged centrally of the traveling carriage, and mechanism mounted upon the traveling carriage and connecting it with said standard, said mechanism being arrangedto cause the platform or carriage to move up or down upon the standard, is old.

I am also aware that elevators somewhat similar to mine have been provided with steadying guy-ropes passing from a windingdrum situated near the ground and controlled by a ratchet and pawl up to the platform, thence through eyes orloops to stationary snpports situated upon the ground at the sides of the elevator; but I prefer to mount the devices which control the guy-ropes upon the platform of the sliding carriage, where they are within convenient access of the operatorupon the elevator, he being the person who can best determine the amount of tension which should be put upon such ropes in order to insure the elevator being held steady. I also consider a brake mechanism such as shown much superior to a ratchet and pawl for controlling the movements of the drum, as by means of a brake and the mechanism for holding it in con-` tact with the drum I insure a constant fric IOO IIC) tion upon the drum and therefore a constant tension upon the rope, which friction and tension may be varied at will, whereas a ratchet and pawl would only operate to stop rotation of the drum entirely, thus operating very differently from my arrangement.

The peculiar separable two-part bearer or case for supporting the gearing which I have herein shown and described, I consider particularly advantageous, as'by means thereof the gearing can be easily removed from or placed upon the standard without disarranging any of the parts or removing any of the shafts carrying the gear-wheels from their bearings, and by means of the adjusting screw-bolts b I can cause the steadying-rollers g at all times to bear closely against the standard.

What I claim is# 1. In an elevator, a supporting-standard in combination with a separable bearer formed of two parts connected together and surrounding the said standard, and gearing mounted in said bearer and connecting it with the standard, substantially as s et forth.

2. In an elevator, the con1bination,with a supporting-standard, of a bearer formed of two parts and adapted to surround the ystandard, anti-friction rollers carried by eachof said parts of the bearer, bolts uniting the two parts of the bearer and adapted to force said rollers in close contact with the standard, and gearing carried by the bearer connecting it with the supporti ng-standard, substantially as set forth.

3. In an elevator, the combination, with a supporting-standard provided upon opposite sides with cogged racks, of a sliding carriage, crank-shaft l), pinion d, carried by the crankshaft, gear-wheel E,mounted upon shaft f,sup ported upon one side of the standard, a spurpinion, e, mounted upon the shaft of wheel E and engaging with the cogged rack upon one side the standard, gear-Wheel F, meshing with gear-wheel E and mounted upon a shaft situated upon the opposite side of the standard, and a spur-pinion7 e, carried by the shaft of gear-wheel F, and adapted to engage with the cogged rack upon the opposite side of the standard, substantially as set forth.

4. In an elevator, the combination, witha central supporting-standard, of a sliding carriage, mechanism carried by the sliding carriage and adapted to engage with the standard to elevate or lower the sliding carriage, the drum I .mounted upon thesliding carriage, the guy-ropes L, passing around said drum, and the brake J, situated within convenient reach of the operator upon the sliding carriage, substantially as set forth.

5. In an elevator, the combination, with a central supportiiig-standard, of a sliding carriage, mechanism carried by the sliding carriage and adapted to engage with the standard to elevate or lower the carriage, the drum 'I, mounted upon the carriage, the guy-ropes L,

passing around said drum, the brake J, the treadle K, and the ratchet with which the treadle engages, said parts being within convenient access of the operator upon the sliding carriage, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signaturein presence of two witnesses.

MYRON IV. CLARK. W'itnesses:

W. W. DOUGHERTY, H. H. DOUBLEDAY. 

